Tours
Part of A Better Guide to Běijīng’s Practical A-Z
Tours to China from overseas
The purpose of organised tourism in China is to separate you from as much money as possible while delivering as little value as possible, and simultaneously delivering the current official view of history and the current official view of contemporary China imposed by the government (Tibet has always been a part of China, 5000 years of culture, China invented just about everything, the minorities are happy, etc.) This is mixed with information intended to make you feel sorry for your guide and give a large tip (which you shouldn’t do. See Guides and Tipping.)
It might seem wise, then, to book a tour with a reputable big name company based in your own country, but the overwhelming majority of these simply sub-contract ground handling (everything that happens from when you step off the plane until you step on again) to local operators. So you have to be choosy about your foreign operators, too. Generally those that offer tours to destinations all over the world are less likely to be able to impose adequate quality control on their China tours. But if you call a China specialist in say, San Francisco, your call may very well be answered in Xī’ān. Some Chinese operators merely maintain an office or postal address in foreign countries to give themselves the appearance of being foreign. You should never book with otherwise unknown Chinese entities that happen to have English-language web pages. You should pay no attention to widespread recommendations as part of web chit-chat: many of these postings are entirely bogus, and made by the companies themselves. Others are made by individuals determined that whatever choices they made, even though they experienced no other choices, were the best ones. This is not helpful.
Before you book with any China tour company, if you’re the sort of person who usually prefers not to take tours, then book no further. China is tackled every single year by tens of thousands of people at all budget levels, with no Mandarin at all, and with no planning whatsoever. This book tells you everything you need to know to visit Běijīng by yourself, and once in Běijīng you’ll see how visiting China without Mandarin is little different from travelling anywhere else you’re unfamiliar with the language. Most road signs are bilingual; airports, railway stations, and public transport systems have English signs and announcements; your hotel, however primitive, will have at least one person at reception with some English to help with any other enquiries.
But if you prefer to take an organised tour, or find the prices quoted irresistably cheap, then ask your prospective choices the following questions:
Is there a foreign tour leader? You’ll pay more to travel with companies who send one, but the chances that you’ll be swapped into lower quality accommodation or be subject to other shenanigans are significantly reduced. And if the leader is also the one providing historical and cultural background that, too, is far more likely to be accurate.
How many shopping stops are there? These often fail to show up at all on itineraries, so you have to ask. The right answer should be none, but almost never is. In some cases local authorities won’t issue tourism licences unless at least one stop is made at the souvenir shop that they also own. On cheaper tours there may be three stops a day. A visit to the Great Wall might be two hours looking at ‘jade’ or cloisonné, and an hour at the Wall. And in each case the guide and driver receive kick-backs on the purchases you make, which will be at several times what you need to pay, especially if you accept the special ‘discount’ voucher offered by the guide. This is how the tours are made so cheap: you pay in other ways. You may (and should) opt to sit out the shopping stops, but you’ll spend a lot of time doing so.
What is the tipping advice? If it’s not mentioned at all then ask, because otherwise you may not be told until after you’ve booked, and it may be suggested that the tipping (sometimes now re-branded as a service charge, after widespread complaint) is not optional. There is no tipping in China, and if the company is suggesting there is then at best it is naïvely reproducing the advice of its Chinese ground handlers, and doesn’t care so long as it profits itself, or it is being deliberately deceitful. Again, this is how tours are advertised so cheaply to start with, and such companies should be avoided. The best companies say there is no tipping, or that tipping is something they’ll worry about and it’s included. An acceptable answer may be that there’s limited and entirely optional tipping made by the tour leader from a central pot, and at realistic local levels.
If the tour leader is a foreigner you may wish to tip him or her according to your own cultural norms. Ask the tour company for advice.
Get precise information on free time. On most tours you’ll need it: the pace is relentless, with early starts and late finishes to get in as many kick-back producing stops as possible. And the tour is often designed to protect you from knowledge of real prices and real experiences. Get away to dine out by yourself and you’ll understand.
Chinese tours do not necessarily produce the benefits you expect, so understand what you’re getting into. Where the ground handling is local, you won’t receive accurate information, and will still need to bring your own reading. Especially on cheaper tours the itinerary is largely shaped by the kick-backs offered by sights, restaurants, and hotels. The food quality tends to suffer, and is often just as bad as that provided by Chinese restaurants in the West, which means you’re missing out on one of the greatest pleasures of visiting China. See Eating Out. In general you aren’t protected from fleecing, but instead taken for every penny, and should never shop where the tour takes you or anywhere the guide has been seen with you. For details of just how much money can be involved, see Guides.
But if you like tours don’t be put off. Just ask the questions here until you find the right answers.
Locally booked one-day tours
These include foreigner-targeting English-language tours whose brochures are the only printed information (other than those for dinner-and-show acrobatics) that concierges ever seem to have, which are over-priced and yet may still include shopping stops. There are some one-day tours intended for foreign residents that are pricey but well-run and free of problems. There are also those intended for Chinese tourists, simple and shopping-stop-free, details of which are given with the sites they visit and with other bus information under one-day bus tours in Travel Around the City. These can be both convenient and economical.
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